Legal People for August 29

Miller Canfield
The law firm of Miller Canfield announces that Frederick A. Acomb and Mary Kate Griffith, litigators in the Detroit office, co-authored for the third year the Michigan Chapter in “Getting the Deal Through-Dispute Resolution 2011” handbook, published by Law Business Research Ltd., the official research partner of the International Bar Association (IBA). In addition, they co-authored an article, “Discovery in the United States in Aid of International Arbitration,” published in the Winter 2011 edition of the State Bar of Michigan’s “The Litigation Newsletter.”

Acomb, a principal and chair of Miller Canfield’s International Dispute Resolution Section, handles complex commercial litigation and international arbitration matters for clients from all over the world. He earned his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law and his B.M. from Northwestern University. He is a member of the International Bar Association; the American Bar Association, International Law and Practice Section; and the State Bar of Michigan, International Section.

Griffith’s practice focuses on all areas of business and commercial litigation. An associate of the firm, she has worked on complex business litigation to analyze cases, devise strategies and implement litigation objectives. She earned her law degree from Washington University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.

The “Getting the Deal Through” handbook is delivered to general counsel throughout the world, distributed at IBA meetings and is available to IBA members. For more information on “Getting the Deal Through” handbooks, visit www.GettingTheDealThrough.com.

Additionally,bMiller Canfield principal David M. Thoms has been re-elected secretary of the executive committee of the Michigan Colleges Foundation.

At Miller Canfield, Thoms is a member of the Personal Services Group and co-leader of the Nonprofit and Charitable Organizations Group. He concentrates his practice in estate planning and tax, non-profit organizations, business entity planning and tax, succession planning, and real estate.

He earned his law degrees from Wayne State University Law School and the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law, a M.U.P. (Masters of Urban Planning) from Wayne State University, and a B.A. in History, with distinction, from Kalamazoo College. He also attended l’Université de Caen, France.

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National Multiple Sclerosis Society Michigan Chapter
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society Michigan Chapter has chosen 15 corporate leaders for its inaugural MS Leadership Class. Members will learn about and raise funds for MS while building their civic leadership skills and their peer networks in the business community.

The members of the MS Leadership Class were nominated by their peers and have accepted the challenge to each raise a minimum of $1,000 for the National MS Society, Michigan Chapter. The fundraising campaign kicked off in mid-July and will end on Sept. 27. Donations can be made to Leadership Class members online at nationalMSsociety.org/mig.

Among the group members are Nicholas Baise, general counsel, Alken Ziegler; Forrest Dillon, member, Bodman PLC; Jane Kogan, associate, Warner, Norcross, & Judd; and Bill Ogden, managing partner, Kohl, Harris, Nolan, McCarthy, Turkelson, & Ogden PC.

Class graduates will be honored with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s MS Leadership Award at a reception in late September hosted by AJ Filippis, president and CEO of Wright & Filippis and the honorary chair for the MS Leadership Class of 2011.

This honor is reserved for a stellar group of men and women across the U.S. aspiring to greater achievements in their field and making significant contributions in their community.

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Ackerman, Ackerman & Dynkowski
Darius Dynkowski of Ackerman, Ackerman, & Dynkowski in Bloomfield Hills has been appointed as the Michigan member-attorney of the Owners’ Counsel of America, a nationwide network of eminent domain attorneys dedicated to the defense of private property owners.

Dynkowski graduated in 1993 from Wayne State University and went on to earn his law degree from the Detroit College of Law in 1996. Shortly after graduation and admission to the State Bar of Michigan, he joined Ackerman, Ackerman, & Dynkowski, taking on a role in defending landowners throughout the country. As a partner with the firm, Dynkowski’s experience in the areas of eminent domain and inverse condemnation has led to his role in litigating cases at the state and federal levels. As lead attorney, he has secured awards on several cases exceeding the original offer by at least $1 million.

Currently, Dynkowski serves as the vice chair of the American Bar Association Section of Real Property, Land Use and Environmental Group. In July 2009, Governor Jennifer Granholm re-appointed him to the Michigan State Board of Real Estate Appraisers for a term that will last through June 2013.

In addition to his legal practice and leadership positions, Dynkowski has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Law School since 2002 and at Michigan State University College of Law since 2009.

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Nemeth Burwell PC
Nemeth Burwell PC, a Detroit law firm serving employers in the areas of labor and employment law, announces it has been named one of Metropolitan Detroit’s 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For by the Michigan Business and Professional Association (MBPA). This is the ninth time Nemeth Burwell has received the award. All award winners will be honored at an event to be held on Thursday, Sept. 29, at the Dearborn Inn Marriott.

This year’s winners practice innovative strategies and represent best practices in human resources in a variety of industries. An independent research firm evaluates each company’s entry based on key measures in various categories, including communication, community initiatives, compensation and benefits, diversity and multiculturalism, employee education and development, employee engagement and commitment, recognition and retention, recruitment and selection, small business and work-life balance.

Nemeth Burwell, which has 29 staff members, ranked particularly high on employee education and development and diversity and multiculturalism.

Overall, the firm was recognized for its well defined HR programs, its non-traditional bonus structure, generous health benefits, high energy social events, including fun ways to celebrate firm and employee “wins” (both professional and personal), and efforts to help employees maintain an effective work/life balance.

Patricia Nemeth, the firm’s founding partner, says the 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work for award reinforces the firm’s commitment to be an employer of choice.

“We support our staff by showing them they are valued and giving them opportunities to succeed,” says Nemeth. “But we only set the stage. Nemeth Burwell employees play an important role in creating and sustaining a positive, high-energy culture where people want to grow their careers.”

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Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP
Nazli G. Sater, a partner with the law firm Warner, Norcross, & Judd LLP, was selected to participate in Leadership Oakland.

Sater, who concentrates her practice in family and divorce law, is one of 50 local leaders participating in the nine-month community leadership program. Leadership Oakland seeks to develop leadership skills, expose individuals to key issues impacting the region and enable participants to reach their full potential personally, professionally and through public service to their communities.

The monthly Leadership Oakland sessions will focus on key issues facing the community, including education, government and the justice system, health and human services, and race and ethnic diversity.

Sater was named a Top Lawyer by DBusiness in 2010 and a Michigan Super Lawyer in 2009 and 2010. Active professionally and in the community, she serves on the board of the Karmanos Cancer Institute and on the Family Law Advisory Board of the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. She is also a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Oakland County Bar Association.

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